Climate control in vacuum dryers for convective heat transfer

The first part of this contribution determined the demands on climate control in vacuum drying kilns that are necessary to achieve the final moisture content variation stipulated in the European Drying Group (EDG) proposal on wood drying quality standards. In this second part of the contribution, these demands are compared with measurements of actual climates and the resulting final moisture content in vacuum kilns during industrial production. The measurements show that none of the studied industrial vacuum kilns are capable of controlling climate with acceptable accuracy. The variations in drying climate lead to large variations in final moisture content and reduced production capacities. Drying quality and drying capacity would be greatly increased with improved kiln design and improved climate control systems. Critical factors in kiln design and climate control system design necessary to maintain a controlled drying climate are listed.